OpenCouch is a pre-beta AI chat companion for day-to-day emotional support, self-reflection, and practical coping. It carries information between sessions through three memory layers: semantic facts, episodic arcs, and procedural rules. The project also includes 13 guided coping exercises that track state over multiple turns and retain consent and progress as a conversation continues. Before generating a response, a safety classifier assesses every turn. It can direct a conversation to a specialist crisis agent, with a durable audit log. OpenCouch offers a Next.js web chat, a text terminal interface, and a FastAPI backend with REST and WebSocket access. The text runtime uses the OpenAI Agents SDK, and real model runs require an OpenAI API key. Durable storage for memory, sessions, crisis logs, and feedback requires Postgres; guest and incognito runs are temporary. The documented local deployment uses Docker Compose with Postgres and FastAPI, with an optional web container. OpenCouch is free and licensed under the GNU Affero General Public License v3.0. Its voice path is still being stabilized. The project is not a therapist, diagnostic tool, emergency service, or substitute for professional mental health care or medical advice.
Who it is for
OpenCouch may suit people seeking an AI companion for self-reflection and guided wellness exercises, especially those who want memory to persist between sessions. Its pre-beta status and local deployment requirements make it more suited to users comfortable with a developing, self-hosted project.
What is good
- Three-layer memory carries information across sessions.
- Includes 13 state-tracked, multi-turn coping exercises.
- A classifier checks each turn before response generation.
- Can route to a specialist crisis agent with an audit log.
- Offers web chat, terminal, REST, and WebSocket interfaces.
- Free and released under the AGPL v3.0.
What to know first
- Durable persistence requires Postgres.
- Real model runs require an OpenAI API key.
- The project is pre-beta and actively stabilizing.
- It is not a substitute for professional mental health care.
Verdict
Choose OpenCouch if you want a free, open-source companion with persistent memory, guided exercises, and safety routing, and can work with its pre-beta deployment. Look elsewhere for professional or emergency mental health care, or if you need a stabilized voice experience.
Get started with OpenCouch
- Open the project website on GitHub.
- Use the documented Docker Compose setup with Postgres and the FastAPI backend.
- Add the optional web container if you want the Next.js chat interface.
- Provide an OpenAI API key for real model runs.
- Use the text terminal interface or access the FastAPI REST and WebSocket backend.
Limits to know first
Postgres is the only supported durable backend; guest and incognito runs are ephemeral. Real model runs require an OpenAI API key, and the voice path remains pre-beta.
Questions about OpenCouch
Is OpenCouch free?
Yes. It is free and open source under the GNU Affero General Public License v3.0.
Which platforms does it support?
It provides a web chat, text terminal interface, and API access through a FastAPI REST and WebSocket backend. It can be self-hosted.
Does OpenCouch remember conversations?
Its three-layer memory stores semantic facts, episodic arcs, and procedural rules across sessions. Durable memory requires Postgres; guest and incognito runs are ephemeral.
Does it connect to other services?
The text runtime uses the OpenAI Agents SDK, and real model runs require an OpenAI API key. Postgres is required for durable persistence.
Is OpenCouch a mental health service?
No. It is not a therapist, diagnostic tool, or emergency service, and it is not a substitute for professional care or medical advice.
How mature is the product?
The project describes itself as pre-beta and actively stabilizing. Its voice path is also pre-beta and still being stabilized.
Compared on AI mental health chatbots
- Guided exercises
- Yes
- Crisis resources
- Yes
- Access platforms
- Web, API, self_hosted
- Conversation memory
- Yes
